1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless telecommunications. More particularly, the present invention relates to method and apparatus for remotely controlling the notification function of an end-user wireless telephone communications device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid development of mobile communications in the recent years, the need for wireless communication has grown measurably. Ranging from simple pagers that provide means for alerting a user of an incoming call (for example, with the incoming caller's telephone number visually discernable on the display panel of the pager) to more functional means of sending and retrieving information through mobile communication devices such as laptop computers with communication capabilities (such as a high speed modem), personal digital assistants, and enhanced pagers with information transmission/retrieval capabilities to exchange time sensitive information such as stock quotes, weather reports, news updates, stored voice messages, as well as other information that can be readily transmitted over such medium, the capabilities of such devices are powerful.
There are also service providers such as Sprint, GTE Wireless and Pacific Bell that provide the ability to transmit such information as between two or more mobile, wireless communications devices or as between one or more stationary terminal such as a conventional telephone, desktop computers, and site-specific terminals (such as TV or radio stations) and one or more wireless communications devices.
The advantages offered by the mobile, wireless communications devices are countless. In particular, fast and prompt transmission and retrieval of a variety of information can be easily achieved. Wireless communications devices such as cellular telephones and pager systems include means to notify the user of such devices of an incoming communication. Such notification function can include a ringer function which generates an audible sound to notify the user of the communications device that there is an incoming communication. Another example of the notification function can include physically vibrating the communications device such that the user, by virtue of being in physical contact with the communications device, can physically sense the device in constant or intermittent vibration. Aside from the ringer and vibration notifications, there exists other means of alerting the communications device user that there is an incoming communication.
On the other hand, certain limitations still exist in terms of flexibility in managing or controlling the transmission/retrieval of information. For instance, many wireless devices have little or no ability to prioritize the retrieval of an incoming transmission such as an incoming telephone call received by a cellular telephone, for instance. In particular, cellular telephones currently do not have the capability to prioritize or screen incoming calls in accordance with the cellular telephone user's prioritized level of urgency. Indeed, at present, a cellular telephone, when turned on and placed on stand-by mode to receive calls, will ring or buzz irrespective of the caller's identity to notify the user of the cellular telephone that there is an incoming call.
When the user of the wireless communications device does not wish to be disturbed for a period of time, the user may turn down the notification function. When the notification function is turned down by the user, such as by lowering or turning off the ringer volume control or the vibration notification mode, even when there is an incoming communication received by the wireless communications device, the user is not aware of such communication being received by the wireless device.
After a predetermined number of rings or a given time period of physically vibrating the wireless communications device, the incoming communication is usually routed to a message center for storing the incoming communication such that the user may receive the incoming communication at a later time.
Therefore, when the notification function of the wireless communications device is disabled by the user, the source of the incoming communications, usually another person placing a telephone call or sending a pager request to the wireless communications device, must wait during the time the device's notification function elapses through the predetermined number of rings or the pre-set time period for vibration. This may cause substantial frustration on the part of the party sending the communication and significant delay in conveying the intended communication since the message will either be temporarily stored the message center for later retrieval or the sending party must repeatedly retransmit the same message until the wireless device user activates the device's notification function.
Conversely, the user of the wireless communications device has no alternatives but to either leave on the notification function of the wireless communications device and risk being interrupted periodically, or, disable the notification function of the communications device and risk not receiving an important message in a timely manner.